Sunday, January 4, 2026

It's the season for croaking.....as long as it is only frogs! None of us can croak anytime soon!

Sorry about the devastation from the fires. Scary stuff!

So sad to have a fire displace businesses and people. But no fatalities? That is a good thing. One of the old, old wharfs in Portland Maine had a devastating fire a few days ago. DS said the same occurred - lots of businesses and some apartments burnt down. The buildings were old historic buildings so constructed of old dry wood. But no injuries in that fire either because of the time when it occurred.

Checking in on a very quiet Sunday. Freezing rain was falling earlier in the day, so I was very happy to have no plans that required driving.

Love the hutch Liz. We painted ours black a few years ago, and I love how it looks. Because we have a lot of oak trim, like the stair rail, and DH will never, ever agree to paint it, I don't have any white painted furniture. But I do paint everything I can black. It just seems to go with the oak better. I love the beach/water vibe of your house and always look forward to seeing your new pieces.

There's a dog show in Minnesota this weekend and DH thought maybe Peps should consider it next year. I told him you were in Palm Springs. Palm Springs or Minneapolis in January. I don't think it is a hard choice, even if the weather there is not as nice as normal.

While it sounds like our ailing members are on the mend, sad that nobody is back to normal. Keep resting as much as you need.

Movie recommendation: The Life of Chuck. It's based on a novella by Stephen King, but it is not horror. There is an element of magic/sci fi, hard to explain really. I rarely watch movies twice, but this one is really beautiful in the end. Streaming on Hulu. No aliens Diane!

As our trip nears, one of my friends is sending me links for restaurants in Porto Alegre. So many fun places!! DH is on a Tommy Bahama kick, buying shirts of E-Bay. He's concerned he will eat himself right out of his shirts.Hopefully not, because he looks very nice in them.

The last of the Christmas food I put in the freezer is just about gone, so I decided I should make us something. I made Shepard's Pie, and it hit the spot on a cold, freezing rain kind of day.

Brazil's president spoke out against the invasion of Venezuela, and sent troops to their shared border. Awesome. To be clear, no one is a fan of Maduro and the majority of Venezuelans seem to be celebrating his removal. But it is troubling that they already proved they want a different government by voting for it in 2024 and there seems to be no concern about stepping aside and letting the choice of the citizens govern. Where I am going in Brazil is far from their shared border, which is in the northwest , and I going as far southeast as you can go and not be in Uruguay. DH, aviation enthusiast, did look up the route of our plane, and it seems to have changed it's normal course to stay as far away from Venezuelan airspace as it can.

Not sure how the weather will be tomorrow, but if the roads aren't too crazy, we will have our regular coffee date. I am getting my hair done Wednesday, and since I will be west of the Twin Cities, I will make a pass by my parent's house too. Sometime this week I need to get a pedicure : ) Lots of little things to take care of also. Tomorrow, the one week countdown begins.

Shepards Pie is always a good one - may need to keep that in mind for our next cold snap.

Just a week before your trip! I am glad you won't be close to Venezuela but still a good idea to be quiet about your country of origin I think.

Both DH and I love Tommy Bahama! Good idea to get used off EBay. DH does a lot of EBay shopping. Unfortunately, I pay full price from their online store or when in Hawaii, the physical store! I think there might be one in Naples, road trip!